HeatherO

Perhaps the loo???? lol

You have to weigh the choices and find what is right for you. You already sound sold on the band, so that might just be the best choice for you. One thing you can look at are your eating habits. Banding works great for people who are chronic overeaters. It doesn't work as well for junk food addicts or people who graze continuously throughout the day. Can you stick to 3-5 set meals a day? Can you eliminate sweets, chips and soda from your diet? If so, it definitely sounds like banding is a great choice.

My doctor supports caffeine consumption but said like anything else, moderation is the key and as long as you are using sugar substitutes for sweetness you should be fine.

Oops, I didn't notice the date. This is a very old revived thread.

Congratulations!!! You are an inspiration to all of us. We are more than just our bands and am so proud of you for maintaining your success. I wish you nothing but continued success for this next year and on into the future.

Wow, 16 years is such a long time. I also wish you the best of luck with this stage of your journey. Can you share a little with us about how banding has been for you over the last 16 years, and what led to the removal?

Well whether it is divine intervention or blind luck whether good or bad, I am still happy that there was a positive outcome for those people.

Perhaps you are just feeling them more now that you are further along. Perhaps he is making up for lost time . . . since it took so long for him to start kicking vigorously in the first place, lol. Maybe all that activity in the nursery kept him awake longer than usual and his sleep pattern is off a little. Did you eat anything unusual for dinner/dessert last night? I feel the kicks so much more a while after eating something, especially if it is something sweeter than normal. I am still in the early stages where I feel the movements lightly and then it goes away. It seems as soon as I really feel her kicking and start to pay attention it stops, lol. I am really looking forward to her kicking up a storm like yours. By the way, I had to tell my husband about your baby's reaction to the water action scene in the Benjamin Button movie. He thought it was hilarious how you had to cushion the sound, lol.

Congratulations!!! I needed an emergency unfill right around the time of conception. I got immediately so tight that I couldn't get liquids down without a struggle. Some of us are affected that way. You are so lucky to learn early. I did not get a bfp until more than 2 weeks after my period was due, lol. I am happy you will be joining us in our pregnancy discussions. Congrats and best of luck to you!!!

Congratulations Alana!!! I am sending lots of sticky vibes your way. I also had inconsistent results on pregnancy tests as well. I did not get a bfp until more than 6 weeks after my previous menstrual cycle. I thought maybe I wasn't really pregnant, but I was told on this forum that any positive line, even faint, means pregnancy. I remember the constant peeing early on and it went away. I drink constantly too. If fact it seems as if being pregnant is making me extra, extra thirsty all the time now. I think it is a great idea to wait a little on that fill just in case. Some of us have gotten extremely tight in waves since pregnancy. We look forward to hearing more from you. Congrats and good luck!!!:wink5:

I immediately got super tight and needed an emergency unfill before I even knew I was pregnant. I got a slight fill again and then needed another unfill. I found that my band got extremely tight after pregnancy. My fill nurse said I had to have a full unfill because it is their policy. I begged and pleaded and ended up with a half fill (4 cc's current compared with the original sweet spot of 8.3 cc's). I will probably have no need to see them again until after delivery unless I need another unfill. They said they will not give me another fill (or if I really, desperately need it they will give me only .25 cc's per month if I am lucky . . . but probably not even that much). If you want to maintain some fill, you may want to find out what their policy is on pregnancy before you go in.

I agree, jerky is a wonderful protein filled snack that is low in calories. Once you are off the post-op diet and all full foods, there is no reason why you can't eat the jerky as long as you chew well.

I think at the very least, it is still good to at least call your doctor. By doctor I mean your general practitioner. Because there are so many causes that can be serious, it is nothing to play around with or to just assume it is no big deal. Most likely it is nothing important, but just in case it is something more serious you should follow up with your doctor.

It was such an interesting and inspiring story, thanks for bringing it up. I fly frequently on business, sometimes domestic and sometimes international. Everytime I hear that your "cushion can be used in a flotation device" or "what to do in the event of a Water landing," I always felt skeptical. Why??? . . . because I have never heard of a water landing where people actually lived to tell the tale. I always though that if we crash landed in the sea, the last thing I would be thinking about would be my floating cushion. I agree that God must have had other plans. It is just amazing.

I am sorry that you had that experience. I also don't bother with the chat rooms because it seems like the overall tone of conversation is not always positive and it has too much of a "gossip" feel to it. You would think, or at least I would, that people who have struggled with obesity or weight to the extent that they would consider surgical resolution would be more tolerant of others struggling with that same problem. What I have found in real life is that others struggling with obesity can sometimes be considerably less tolerant or supportive than the population at large. Why this is, I can't even begin to speculate. All I can say is that you shouldn't let anybody get you down. Do what you need to do for yourself, people in a miscellaneous chat room mean less than nothing in the overall scheme of what happens in your life. I went to Mexico. I did alot of research beforehand, and was very happy with my experience. I found good aftercare for afterwards and made sure that all my options were covered. I have also had excellent results, reached my goal, and I am very proud of where I am today. I have no doubts that some others "poo poo" my decision (it has happened before), but I live in this body and I have no regrets.

pattygreen, You said it perfectly. :0) It is such a personal choice and unless you are ready for it, it is not the right choice for you. If you are ready for that commitment at 190, 215, 270, 350, etc and are obese, than the time is right regardless of what other people say or think.

Wow, that sounds really unpleasant. Especially when you were hoping for a little relief. I am happy to hear the port is not flipped. Did you have any problems getting the fill last week? Good luck next week . . . I hope it will be easier to access.

My office says signs that you need a fill are as follows: 1) Losing less than 1-2 pounds a week. You are losing within range so you sound good there. 2) Feeling physically hungry between meals (or less than four hours after eating). 3) Eating too much during meals. It sounds like you might be OK there as well since you feel tight. It really doesnt sound like you need a fill. However, if you do get one, it should be very, very tiny. Being too tight is not only unpleasant, it actually causes some people to gain because they start eating easier foods that may not be as healthy or might have too many calories.

I would take this with a grain of salt. Yes, it could possibly take a couple of days . . . but that is so incredibly rare, even with the first child. I wonder what the average labor time is, I will have to google it. Sometimes I think you get the worst case scenario so that you can be pleasantly surprised when you do so much better, lol. It is kind of like banding when my surgeons office said I probably wouldn't lose anything before my first fill, then when I was actually losing I was extra motivated. I was told the same thing when I had my son. I wasn't induced but the doctor did something he called "stirring the cervix" which was a bit painful. I think it is equivalent to stripping membranes now. I went to an ob appointment at 9:00 am and before I left I said my back was a little uncomfortable. He was born at almost 4:00 PM that very same day. Everyone has such different experiences, you just never know. It might end up being so much easier than you ever would have expected.

I dont think they can do much now since you were already approved with the information they had on file. What was your final BMI when you got the insurance and what was the BMI at surgery? Did you have any comorbidities?

Two weeks will go by in a flash. Sticking to your liquid diet is really helpful not only for taking off weight, but more importantly for getting your head in the right "banding mindset." You can do this and it sounds like you are off to a good start. Good luck.

Not eating after 7:00 pm can help. Propping up your pillows when you sleep so that your head and shoulders are elevated above your stomach a little more help. Acid reducing/reflux meds can also help. I had this problem as well. The things listed above helped me slightly. Getting a small unfill made my problems dissapear completely. You might just need to have a tiny unfill.

I agree with the others about calling your regular doctor. It is not a typical lapband problem so none of us could have much to offer . . . . and there are so many different possible reasons for it from the simple to the complex. Your doctor would know best, especially if you have a history of h'roids.

I would just track and try not to go over the 6. If it is only gas, it should get better and better each day and in another week you might not be taking gas-x at all. If your gas pains are strongly affecting the left neck/shoulder than it might not be gas pain, it might be an irritated nerve.

I reallllyyyyy want to try the ham and cheese soup. The only problem is that we don't eat pork. Does anyone have any suggestions on a good substitute that would taste good in the soup? Kat817, I hope your DIL is alright. That can be a scary experience.